* One of the greatest sounds ever - we were putting the boys to bed one night and Nate started singing a hymn, . . .. he sang the whole thing. What a joy to hear your kids sing about Jesus as they fall asleep.
* We were driving to down the other day and Josh realized that he could "read" many of the road signs (because every time we drive by an orange road sign, he asks us to read it). Nate asked him if he could read this sign or that sign, and Josh said, "That one says slow down" and Nate said, "And Kill a worker for money" HA! You know the signs . .. "Fines doubled in work zones; Kill a worker, 15 years and $7500" Yes, they have listened, no the did not get it right!
* The boys love going to our big town 'Grand Rackids" (Grand Rapids). Nope, I chose not to correct them and yes, we now call it Grand Rackids too!
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Family Fun! Halloween
We had so much fun this year celebrating Halloween. We actually grew our own pumpkin and the boys loved watching it grow (HUGE!) and they checked it every day for weeks as it slowly turned orange. We did have a second pumpkin that got huge but it never turned orange!
The boys were very excited to finally get to carve our pumpkin. This is the first year we've actually carved a pumpkin. I thought they might want to decorate a smaller pumpkin but they had no interest - they totally wanted to work with Darryl and carve the pumpkin "they grew".
The boys wanted to be a full part of the carving so Darryl taught them how to move the knife to cut the top of the pumpkin. (I was pretty sure someone was going to lose a finger . . .hahaha)
Before long both of the boys have knives and were hacking carving away. They loved it and kept asking who taught Darryl how to carve pumpkins HA!
Trying to pull the top off of the pumpkin. . . .
A little help from dad and the top finally came off . ..
The boys did NOT like the guts HA! We tried to get them to help scrap it out but there was no way they were touching it. Nate did finally help me pull out the seeds for roasting but Josh wanted nothing to do with the "gross stuff."
We had a Halloween Tablecloth on the table so the boys picked out one of the jack-o-lanterns on the cloth and asked Darryl to copy it.
The final product being product with a candle. It is one awesome pumpkin!
My two crazy boys and their first Jack-O-Lantern affectionately named "Jack".
Me and my boys (see our green pumpkin on the steps?)
Darryl and the boys.
This photo makes me laugh - Josh is my little photographer and this is the photo he took of Darryl, Nate and I :-)
My brother and sister-in-law, Kel and Deb, came to visit on Halloween and my brother even came in costume!
My two Pirates. To keep it real . . .. Josh was very upset with me because I told him he had to wear a coat (it was in the 20's and we had some snow!). He told me he did not like cold Halloweens. He pouted all the way until we got out of the truck and started walking - then he told me how cold it was and he was glad he had his coat HA! Well, because of the sadness at home, I did not get a great photo!
My brother Kel and Nate. Kel's costume was awesome!
Darryl and I laughed and laughed when we turned around from getting the boys candy and saw Kel standing out on the sidewalk. It was slightly creepy HA! Kel was the most popular person on the Trick or Treating route, though, with adults and kids stopping to say hello to him!
After about an hour of outside Trick-or-Treating, we headed back to our church for their indoor (and warm) Truck-or-Treat activities. The boys got to play lots of games and get more candy.
It really was a great night and yes, the boys are enjoying their candy :-)
My brother and sister-in-law, Kel and Deb, came to visit on Halloween and my brother even came in costume!
It really was a great night and yes, the boys are enjoying their candy :-)
Friday, November 7, 2014
Weekly Menu
We ate a lot of chicken this past week. For a family that prefers beef or pork, that says a lot HA! Yep, chicken was on sale recently and, in an effort to keep the grocery bill down this past week, I planned our menu around that chicken!
Sunday dinner. I grew up with my mom making a roast almost every Sunday that was ready after we got home from church. It was awesome and I loved it. I still love it but roast has gotten so expensive and I just struggle with planning that meal! I can honestly say that if we lived in town where we had a nice selection of restaurants, we would probably eat Sunday dinner out every single week. No cooking; No Clean-up; No dishes but, that is not the case. Instead I've decided I need a rotation of Sunday meals. Either things that cook while we are at church or things I can put together on Saturday and warm up on Sunday after church. So far this is what I'm thinking - Sunday Swiss Steak, Roast, Pork Loin, and Ham. I made soup this past Sunday - it was good and went together quickly after church but the boys were less than thrilled!
Here's the plan for this coming week - we are in the quiet weeks before the Holiday excitement begins!
Saturday - We are planning a family day. Right now, we are planning to head into town, ride the new bus called the Silver Line, head to the Children's museum (free with a library pass) and get dinner. Not sure where since we'll be downtown but there is a great pizza place we haven't been to in awhile!
Sunday - Roasted Pork Loin, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and Rolls
Monday - Beef Tips and Noodles - a great crock pot meal!
Tuesday - Pulled pork BBQ (Left over from Sunday's meal), Baked Beans and Mac and Cheese
Wednesday - Waffles, sausage and Fruit
Thursday - Chicken Pasta w/roasted red peppers and mozzarella, green beans and garlic bread (I made this meal recently and we loved it - I have left over roasted red peppers and want to use them so we are eating it again!) The kids will probably have spaghetti! .
Friday - Tacos!!!
Sunday dinner. I grew up with my mom making a roast almost every Sunday that was ready after we got home from church. It was awesome and I loved it. I still love it but roast has gotten so expensive and I just struggle with planning that meal! I can honestly say that if we lived in town where we had a nice selection of restaurants, we would probably eat Sunday dinner out every single week. No cooking; No Clean-up; No dishes but, that is not the case. Instead I've decided I need a rotation of Sunday meals. Either things that cook while we are at church or things I can put together on Saturday and warm up on Sunday after church. So far this is what I'm thinking - Sunday Swiss Steak, Roast, Pork Loin, and Ham. I made soup this past Sunday - it was good and went together quickly after church but the boys were less than thrilled!
Here's the plan for this coming week - we are in the quiet weeks before the Holiday excitement begins!
Saturday - We are planning a family day. Right now, we are planning to head into town, ride the new bus called the Silver Line, head to the Children's museum (free with a library pass) and get dinner. Not sure where since we'll be downtown but there is a great pizza place we haven't been to in awhile!
Sunday - Roasted Pork Loin, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and Rolls
Monday - Beef Tips and Noodles - a great crock pot meal!
Tuesday - Pulled pork BBQ (Left over from Sunday's meal), Baked Beans and Mac and Cheese
Wednesday - Waffles, sausage and Fruit
Thursday - Chicken Pasta w/roasted red peppers and mozzarella, green beans and garlic bread (I made this meal recently and we loved it - I have left over roasted red peppers and want to use them so we are eating it again!) The kids will probably have spaghetti! .
Friday - Tacos!!!
Thursday, November 6, 2014
November Goals
I am amazed that I am writing goals for November. I feel like this year went by very slowly yet, now it's gone. So crazy. As we enter the holiday season, my goals start to shift and I focus more on getting things done in order to make sure that the time around Christmas can be geared more towards fun stuff and not be stressful with things that must get done! You can check out my October goals HERE and see what I did (and more likely did not) accomplish
November Goals:
The Home
1. The Kitchen - Deep cleaning. We have some projects going on with the kitchen right now so I want to focus on doing some cleaning and cleaning out of things. Along with rearranging what is stored where in order to make my cupboards more useful and keep the countertop cleared off as much as possible. Along with updating some decor (using my photography to keep expense as low as possible) and just doing some updating over all. Most of the cleaning is done - some is waiting until the project is done and the dust settles though. I plan on doing the decor in January - after I take Christmas stuff done.
2. Outside - I am still working slowly to get the outside stuff done. It seemed that every time I planned to work out side, the temps went up to the 70's and well, I don't do yard work when I have to sweat HA! (Especially in October and November GEESH!). I'll finish up the yard prep and then actually put away the last of the outdoor stuff and get it all covered in plastic before the snow flies. Done! The boys and I worked hard on this project a few weeks ago and got everything cleaned up, put away and even made room to park in the garage . . .just in time for the HUGE snowstorm that hit!
3. Christmas Decor - yes, you read that right. I put up my outside stuff in November. I tend to watch the weather and pick a weekend when it is not bitter cold to put up the lights and basic decor. No, I don't turn it all on yet but I like it done before my fingers freeze and fall off :-) The outside stuff is up! I need to up another strand of lights and some red bows to finish up the project but otherwise what we have is done.
4. Toy Clean out - After Thanksgiving, my kids spend a few days with Papa and Nana. This is my prime time to clean up and clean out. My kids really don't have an over abundance of toys but in order to keep it under control I have to clean it up a few times a year. Basically, I go through every bin and basket and box - make sure that all the pieces are matched back up; go through games and make sure their aren't missing pieces that impact game play; look for broken toys, and clean out stuff they have out grown. This allows room for Christmas toys to find new homes. My plans were arranged (all for good) so I didn't get quite as much accomplished as I planned - including this project. I will carry this over into December and work to get everything organized and cleaned up before Christmas.
Scrapbooking
I was able to attend a scrapbook crop in October which really helped my stick to my goals and even get a little ahead!
1. Order first set of scrapbook page prints (I have created a spread sheet and plan to get pages order - what I might actually do is figure out how much it would cost IF I ordered and put the money away. The company I use usually does a really good sale sometime in march where I can then order more for my money!) After looking at the budget for December, I've cut out all unnecessary spending so I can focus on the things we want to do for Christmas. I plan to start the page ordering in January.
2. Birthday Books - this was on the radar for October but didn't get done - I need to ask Josh his questions and then print the pages and put them in an album. The pages are done; now I just need to order them and get a scrapbook for each of them - the plan for this is January
3. Blog Book - also from October - I would like to put 2013 of my blog into a book and then budget to get it ordered. Not Started
4. Finish up December 2013 (if not done already) I had planned to work on this over my "weekend" but ended up with some other things going on and didn't get to it.
5. Create the Christmas ornament books for each of the boys
6. Update the Family albums
7. Create a blog book for 2012 and, again, budget it out so I know when I can order it
8. Order photos from Jan-March 2014 to have on hand for a crop at the end of the month Ordered :-)
School
1. Make my plan of where I want to be by mid-December so that we can take a few weeks off around Christmas/New Year Done!
2. Plan our Christmas Advent activities and order anything that needs to be ordered/prep anything that needs to be prepped Done!
3. Go through the books on our shelves and clean them out. I love books and so do my kids but, I know we have quite a few books that the boys have either outgrown OR have never had an interest in. I'd prefer to have books on the shelves they enjoy hearing and will enjoy reading at some point.
4. Go through all of my "school" supplies in the basement and clean them out or use them. I try to limit what I have in storage - I'm more of a "use it or lose it" kind of girl ;-)
5. Create chore charts for the boys (Yes, I've had this on here before . .. some day I might do it HA)
6. Find some great recipes to make with the boys and to use to teach them how to cook some basics
Christmas
Yes, this is a new topic. I love the Holidays and need to plan to keep it non-stressful!
1. Decorate the house. This usually happens near the end of November. As I do each year, I like to be a little brutal when we get stuff out and only put out what I love. If it doesn't get put out - it goes away to Good Will. Just about done - I worked on it throughout this past week we just have put up the tree.
2. Add some new ideas - some big snowflakes in the windows, Maybe some Christmas blankets for the boys beds for something different
3. Finish all shopping for the kids/stockings/family if possible. Financially, some things may get pushed into December but my goal is to start picking stuff up now.
Misc
1. Make plans for Nate's Birthday and have everything on hand/ready to go by the beginning of December (His birthday is just before Christmas so I strive to give him a special day that is not impacted by the fact that Christmas is two days later!)
2. Continue to grow my "Quiet Time" with a Bible Study, Daily Bible Reading and Prayer time
3. Continue to read - whether for fun or for learning.
4. Decide on my theme word for the next year and come up with a list of key goals that fit into that theme to accomplish. Something different than these monthly goals. Done!
5. Order my Yearly Planner (It takes 4-6 weeks to arrive so I need to order early Done!
November Goals:
The Home
1. The Kitchen - Deep cleaning. We have some projects going on with the kitchen right now so I want to focus on doing some cleaning and cleaning out of things. Along with rearranging what is stored where in order to make my cupboards more useful and keep the countertop cleared off as much as possible. Along with updating some decor (using my photography to keep expense as low as possible) and just doing some updating over all. Most of the cleaning is done - some is waiting until the project is done and the dust settles though. I plan on doing the decor in January - after I take Christmas stuff done.
2. Outside - I am still working slowly to get the outside stuff done. It seemed that every time I planned to work out side, the temps went up to the 70's and well, I don't do yard work when I have to sweat HA! (Especially in October and November GEESH!). I'll finish up the yard prep and then actually put away the last of the outdoor stuff and get it all covered in plastic before the snow flies. Done! The boys and I worked hard on this project a few weeks ago and got everything cleaned up, put away and even made room to park in the garage . . .just in time for the HUGE snowstorm that hit!
3. Christmas Decor - yes, you read that right. I put up my outside stuff in November. I tend to watch the weather and pick a weekend when it is not bitter cold to put up the lights and basic decor. No, I don't turn it all on yet but I like it done before my fingers freeze and fall off :-) The outside stuff is up! I need to up another strand of lights and some red bows to finish up the project but otherwise what we have is done.
4. Toy Clean out - After Thanksgiving, my kids spend a few days with Papa and Nana. This is my prime time to clean up and clean out. My kids really don't have an over abundance of toys but in order to keep it under control I have to clean it up a few times a year. Basically, I go through every bin and basket and box - make sure that all the pieces are matched back up; go through games and make sure their aren't missing pieces that impact game play; look for broken toys, and clean out stuff they have out grown. This allows room for Christmas toys to find new homes. My plans were arranged (all for good) so I didn't get quite as much accomplished as I planned - including this project. I will carry this over into December and work to get everything organized and cleaned up before Christmas.
Scrapbooking
I was able to attend a scrapbook crop in October which really helped my stick to my goals and even get a little ahead!
1. Order first set of scrapbook page prints (I have created a spread sheet and plan to get pages order - what I might actually do is figure out how much it would cost IF I ordered and put the money away. The company I use usually does a really good sale sometime in march where I can then order more for my money!) After looking at the budget for December, I've cut out all unnecessary spending so I can focus on the things we want to do for Christmas. I plan to start the page ordering in January.
2. Birthday Books - this was on the radar for October but didn't get done - I need to ask Josh his questions and then print the pages and put them in an album. The pages are done; now I just need to order them and get a scrapbook for each of them - the plan for this is January
3. Blog Book - also from October - I would like to put 2013 of my blog into a book and then budget to get it ordered. Not Started
4. Finish up December 2013 (if not done already) I had planned to work on this over my "weekend" but ended up with some other things going on and didn't get to it.
5. Create the Christmas ornament books for each of the boys
6. Update the Family albums
7. Create a blog book for 2012 and, again, budget it out so I know when I can order it
8. Order photos from Jan-March 2014 to have on hand for a crop at the end of the month Ordered :-)
School
1. Make my plan of where I want to be by mid-December so that we can take a few weeks off around Christmas/New Year Done!
2. Plan our Christmas Advent activities and order anything that needs to be ordered/prep anything that needs to be prepped Done!
3. Go through the books on our shelves and clean them out. I love books and so do my kids but, I know we have quite a few books that the boys have either outgrown OR have never had an interest in. I'd prefer to have books on the shelves they enjoy hearing and will enjoy reading at some point.
4. Go through all of my "school" supplies in the basement and clean them out or use them. I try to limit what I have in storage - I'm more of a "use it or lose it" kind of girl ;-)
5. Create chore charts for the boys (Yes, I've had this on here before . .. some day I might do it HA)
6. Find some great recipes to make with the boys and to use to teach them how to cook some basics
Christmas
Yes, this is a new topic. I love the Holidays and need to plan to keep it non-stressful!
1. Decorate the house. This usually happens near the end of November. As I do each year, I like to be a little brutal when we get stuff out and only put out what I love. If it doesn't get put out - it goes away to Good Will. Just about done - I worked on it throughout this past week we just have put up the tree.
2. Add some new ideas - some big snowflakes in the windows, Maybe some Christmas blankets for the boys beds for something different
3. Finish all shopping for the kids/stockings/family if possible. Financially, some things may get pushed into December but my goal is to start picking stuff up now.
Misc
1. Make plans for Nate's Birthday and have everything on hand/ready to go by the beginning of December (His birthday is just before Christmas so I strive to give him a special day that is not impacted by the fact that Christmas is two days later!)
2. Continue to grow my "Quiet Time" with a Bible Study, Daily Bible Reading and Prayer time
3. Continue to read - whether for fun or for learning.
4. Decide on my theme word for the next year and come up with a list of key goals that fit into that theme to accomplish. Something different than these monthly goals. Done!
5. Order my Yearly Planner (It takes 4-6 weeks to arrive so I need to order early Done!
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
What we are eating - Basic Drip Beef
Basic Drip Beef
adapted From Pioneer Woman
This is a recipe that I somehow missed in my recent recipe tab update. It is a family favorite in the fall/winter so I wanted to make sure and re-add it! The beef simmers all day long on the stove and makes your house smell incredible! The leftovers are just as good and I often turn them into BBQ beef for a great Sunday evening simple dinner. When do I make this most often? Usually on a Saturday when we are hanging out at home so we can enjoy the smell :-) You could make this recipe in the crock pot as well, it just doesn't release the smell quite as well HA!
adapted From Pioneer Woman
Ingredients
- 1 whole 2.5 To 4 Pound Chuck Roast
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 1 whole Large Onion, Sliced Thick
- 3 cloves Garlic, Peeled
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 4 cups Water
- Toasted, Buttered Deli Rolls
- Rosemary, Thyme, Other Spices (optional)
Preparation Instructions
Heat butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions for a couple of minutes, or until starting to get brown.
Set chuck roast on top of the onions. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover pot and simmer (very low heat) on the stove for 6 hours, or until beef is fork-tender and falling apart. **If meat is not yet tender, return to oven for 30 minute intervals till it's tender!** Shred meat with two forks until all large chunks are gone. Serve immediately or continue to simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
*Mixture can be refrigerated overnight. Remove hardened fat from top of pan before reheating.
Serve on top of toasted, buttered deli rolls. Top with cheese and place under the broiler if desired.
Set chuck roast on top of the onions. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover pot and simmer (very low heat) on the stove for 6 hours, or until beef is fork-tender and falling apart. **If meat is not yet tender, return to oven for 30 minute intervals till it's tender!** Shred meat with two forks until all large chunks are gone. Serve immediately or continue to simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
*Mixture can be refrigerated overnight. Remove hardened fat from top of pan before reheating.
Serve on top of toasted, buttered deli rolls. Top with cheese and place under the broiler if desired.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Teaching Tuesdays - Week 10 - A Short Week
Between our birthday getaway and then the boys going to their grandparents for a few days, we had to squeeze in extra school this past week in order to try not to get any further behind. I pulled out my yearly lesson plans just to see where we are in relation to where I would like us to be and we are about 6 days behind. That's not too bad and I think that over the course of the this week and next week, we can actually be "caught up" again.
My favorite moment last week was sitting down with Nate with his new preschool work and hearing him say, "Mom I LOVE school!". He also loves to say that he is a preschooler now. He enjoys his work for the most part and I find that with the shorter worksheets and less work over all that he and I can focus on the simple lessons to move him forward. Josh has proud moments as he says, "I remember doing that last year" as he realizes that he really is older than Nate.
One of the things I did this past week while the boys were gone was to re-organize our school things, the playroom and the boys room so I was able to move some things out of the dining room. I was also able to incorporate the concept of "Workboxes".
This is a drawer system that my mom gave me when she cleaned stuff out. It did house scrapbooking stuff but I reorganized/cleaned out my stuff so that I could use this for school. Each of the boys have 4 drawers to correspond with our 4 days of school each week . I take time on the weekend to pull out all of the worksheets/books ect that the boys need and put them into each drawer. This is especially helpful for Josh who likes to work on his stuff throughout the day. He is able to go right to the drawer for the day and pull out his "seat work". I still need to label the drawers which should get done this week!
There are so many ways to learn which is one of the benefits of homeschooling. Josh, with Natae's help sometimes, put together his birthday present which was a police city Lego Set. He worked all day on the project, found misplaced pieces, and solved problems along the way until he had built the whole thing. Yes, he was extremely proud.
And, for fun, we used the Halloween Cheeto's to put together skeletons. Nate found the "butt bones (the ribcage) and the "brain bones" hahahaha
My favorite moment last week was sitting down with Nate with his new preschool work and hearing him say, "Mom I LOVE school!". He also loves to say that he is a preschooler now. He enjoys his work for the most part and I find that with the shorter worksheets and less work over all that he and I can focus on the simple lessons to move him forward. Josh has proud moments as he says, "I remember doing that last year" as he realizes that he really is older than Nate.
One of the things I did this past week while the boys were gone was to re-organize our school things, the playroom and the boys room so I was able to move some things out of the dining room. I was also able to incorporate the concept of "Workboxes".
Monday, November 3, 2014
Make it Monday - Esty Fun
I've always said that my best creative moments are totally brought on by other peoples creativity. I've also learned that sometimes, it is so much easier (and faster) to allow someone else to make things and I pay for the service which is why I love Etsy! I've purchased two things recently and wanted to give a shout out to the shops.
I wanted a birthday pillowcase to use with our "Week of Birthday" celebration. My first reaction was just to make one because, afterall, a pillowcase is just a square! I then went searching on Etsy, though and found this awesome one from The Luv Bug Designs which was fabulous and priced perfectly. I figured that my time was worth it (not to mention my frustration HA) so I quickly ordered it and it arrived quickly too!
Secondly, I wanted an awesome birthday shirt! Yep, I can still dress the boys in fun shirts so I'm going to do it as long as possible. Not to mention that when I pulled this shirt out on his birthday, he was so excited and said, "Yeah! My shirt!". After searching through pages of shirts I found this classic one from SayitNstiches. The shirt did not disappoint. In the past I've run into issues with the shirts being either thin or small but this shirt is pretty high quality and, even though the shop owner said to order a size up, they shirt was still a little big (which is good - he can wear it for a full year!). The stitch quality is also fabulous and the owner has tons of fabric and colors of thread to choose from. Her time table is clearly stated in agreement terms and I received the shirt within those guidelines. I do plan on ordering Nate's birthday shirt from this same store because I'm so happy with Josh's!
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